by Angera Allen
I wipe the tears away and try to sound cheerful, “Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.”
Brody screams into the phone, “Who the fuck is that? Is that Izzy? That bitch has always hated me. You go and run to your little friend. You think anyone will want you? You’re nothing without me. You think she’ll save you, fucking think again. You’re not divorcing me. You have twelve hours to get the fuck home, or I’m coming for you.” Click.
Brody hung up. I start to cry.
Ginger is now rattling the door. I know she heard everything.
Fuck. I need to go home.
Why did I think he would let me go. I need to go home before this gets any uglier. I had my fun, but I need to go back to my reality. Sobbing into my hands, I try to pull myself together but I can’t. I hear a lot of commotion, and suddenly the doors lock pops open, Quick is standing there with a posse of men behind him.
Covering my face to hide my crying eyes, I try to speak, “I’m sorry. I-I just need…”
Quick crouches down placing his hands on my knees. “Ruby.”
Ginger speaks from behind all the men. “Okay, guys. As you can see, no one is in here hurting her. Give me some room. I just needed one of you to open the door not all fucking five of you.”
I look up to see Ginger pushing all the men out of her way while Quick reaches up wiping away the makeup that I’m sure has smeared down my face. He lifts my chin until our eyes meet. “Ruby, are you okay? Who was that on the phone?” he asks with such a kind and calm voice.
When I answer I try to look down embarrassed but with Quick’s thumb and forefinger holding my chin, I can’t look away from him. “My husband,” I say in a whisper.
“Your husband. I thought you said in the truck soon-to-be-ex-husband,” Quick clarifies.
“He’ll never sign the divorce papers.”
Quick’s jaw clenches. “What do you mean by that?”
Biting my lower lips I try to control myself. I need to stop crying. “I need to catch a flight home.”
Simultaneously, Ginger and Quick say, “Fuck. No. You’re not.”
Ginger, who’s standing behind Quick says, “Look, Ruby, I know we don’t know each other all that well but sweetie, I will not let you go back to that. I heard your whole conversation. Does he hit you?”
I look to Quick.
“No.”
His jaw clenches again, and he stands up motioning for me to stand up. I sit there and stare at both of them dazed.
Quick snaps, “Stand up Ruby. We need to get you cleaned up.” He pulls me up to my feet. “Come on. Either you're going to walk out of here, or you will be thrown over my shoulder. I’m taking you to the clubhouse where it's not so fucking loud, and you can relax. Everyone can meet you there after the club.”
“I can’t leave Iz. She’ll be upset, and I don’t want to ruin her night.” I plead.
I step around them determined I need to stay until I see my face. There are black streaks down my face, and my eyes are swollen from crying. I gasp.
The door flies open, and Izzy barges in yelling, “Where is she” but stops in her tracks when she sees me standing at the sink.
“Rubes, what happened? Who hurt you?” Her voice is calm, but the look on her face is murderous. She looks around for answers. “Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on?”
I speak up first. “Brody called.”
My phone vibrates at that exact moment, and everyone looks down to the lit up phone. Brody’s name is flashing across the screen.
Before I can react, Izzy has the phone in her hand answering it. I freeze. Gus moves into the bathroom behind Izzy.
“Brody. It’s Izzy.”
Pause.
“Yes, she’s here with me so calm the fuck down.”
Quick is cursing under his breath next to me, but I don’t take my eyes off Izzy, who’s looking straight at me.
“Brody, look. You need to calm the fuck down. She’s not coming home until she is ready AND you calm down.”
Pause. I can hear Brody’s muffled voice yelling.
“Well, if you want to come here and search for her good luck but I damn well know you’ll never find her. So take this time to calm the fuck down and be with your daughter. Ruby needs some time. I have her phone, and I’m turning it off for a couple days. If there is an emergency, Giselle knows how to get a hold of me. I’m cutting off all communication to her for a couple days. She needs this, and if you can’t give her that, then it’s a good thing she’s divorcing you.”
Pause. Silence. Brody’s muffled yells.
“Brody, I’m cutting you off there. I don’t give a fuck what happened. All I care about is my girl, so I’m going to hang up now so I can be with her. Don’t make this harder than it already is, okay?”
Pause.
“Goodbye.”
Izzy hangs up the phone and turns it off. She looks up at all of us. “Now. I need to get back up there. I put a small mix on so I could go to the bathroom, but I need to get back.” She turns to Quick. “Please take her to the clubhouse or Ginger’s. I’ll be there in an hour - two at the most.”
Ginger steps forward. “I’ll go with her too.”
Izzy moves to me, giving me a big hug. “I told you I had you this weekend. Nothing is going to happen to you here or when you go home. We got you. Now go relax, have some drinks, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Izzy turns and walks out of the bathroom with Gus on her heels. The three of us stand there staring at the closed door.
“Jesus Christ, I can’t believe that was our Iz,” Quick says shocked.
He turns to Ginger, who’s on the other side of me and says, “Seriously, who was that. Iz’s usually the one falling apart being carried out in shambles but that” —he points to the door— “was fucking unbelievable. She just bossed up.”
Ginger, looking just as shocked, starts laughing putting her hand on the counter to steady herself, lifting the other one. “I’m sorry. I know this is not the time to laugh but give me a second.”
I look to Quick and then back to Ginger, and we all start to laugh. I’m crying laughing, but we’re all laughing when Shy walks into the bathroom.
They’re shocked that Izzy just told Brody to fuck off and eat a dick, but that is the girl I’ve always known.
Ginger grabs my arm, pulling me into a big hug before she turns to her man. “Our girl just made me proud. She just flipped the fuck out on Ruby’s ex,” she tells Shy before kissing him.
Shy laughs. “I heard. Redman came and told me everything. He’s going to be hard the rest of the night.”
Quick comes up next to me putting an arm around me, pulling me into his chest, and without a thought, I wrap my arms around his waist hugging him back. “Thank you,” I say, muffled against his shirt.
“Ruby, you good?” Shy asked.
I pull my face from Quick’s chest and nod my head yes.
Shy barks, “Great, now let’s get the fuck out of here. The boys are waiting to follow us.”
Chapter Seven
An hour later, I’m shit faced sitting at the bar watching all the people move around the room. Ginger placed me at the end of the bar which gave us access to see the room and everyone at the bar. The bartender, Maze, is a total sweetheart. My drink hasn’t been empty once while being here.
The Wolfeman MC clubhouse is not what I would have pictured a clubhouse looking like. It’s a massively tall building from the outside. When you walk through the door, it opens up into a huge warehouse type of room. There were a lot of people mingling around, but I went straight to the bar. It’s a long bar against the back wall giving the person who is behind it full view of the room.
Ginger and Quick have been by my side since we got here. I haven’t said much, and they’ve been giving me my space. Ginger has been chatting it up with members or Maze.
“Ruby, you coming to the party here tomorrow?” Maze asks gingerly.
; I look up when my name is called and sit there thinking about how to answer that. Am I going to be here?
Quick grumbles, “Yes, she’s going to be here.”
Quick has been quiet since we’ve gotten here. I look over at him trying to read his face when Maze yells, “Okay, what the fucked happened tonight, because that...” —she points to Quick— “is not okay. He has been short and pissy all night.”
Maze leans onto the bar showing us her big tits, looking from Ginger to Quick. “What happened to make you all come here early and him to be so pissy. Give me something because this is stressing me out seeing him all grumpy.”
Quick looks up to face Maze, grabbing his beer taking a long swig from it. I’m about to say something when a shout echoes through the room. “Ruby Rube.”
Maze pops up off the bar throwing her hands in the air yelling, “Fuck yes, Legs! Iz’s in the motherfucking house. Finally, something to liven this place up let's get this pole dance party started.”
Izzy. Pole dance.
I’m just happy Izzy is finally here. I smile letting a deep breath out. I feel lighter just knowing she’s here. She’s like my security blanket now. I hate that I need to have someone but it was her before Brody, and I need her again.
Quick gets up, giving up his seat so Izzy can sit next to me. I turn on my stool watching her bounce over to us saying hello to people on the way. Once she is standing in front of me, she places both hands on her hips with a smile. “Rube, how you doing. Have you worked through what happened or do we need to head home to talk you through the shit that happened tonight?”
Gus and Quick move up behind Izzy waiting to hear my answer. She looks so happy and carefree. I haven’t worked this shit out, but I’m not going to let it ruin any more of my time here, so I smile. “I’m good. Maze here has been keeping me completely intoxicated, so I’m feeling pretty fucking awesome.”
Izzy beams with joy clapping her hands. “Hell yeah. Maze hook-”
Maze cuts her off shouting from behind us. “Already on it. Lining them up as we speak.”
Izzy leans in giving me a big hug. “You sure you’re good?” she whispers into my ear where no one can hear. I nod my head reassuring her that I’m okay.
She laughs. “Liar.” Giving me a tighter squeeze before letting me go.
“Shots!” Ginger yells besides us.
All of us grab a shot. The girls yell, “Cheers, biatches” followed with the fellas “Nut up, motherfuckers.”
Maze is full of smiles picking up all the shot glasses. “Legs, you need to jump on that pole and liven this party up.”
“Legs? Iz, you pole dance for them?” I say with a laugh and look around for the pole. “What pole?”
Ginger pipes up, “Iz is the pole dancing queen around here, and that’s where she got her nickname Legs.”
I lift my drink to my mouth laughing as I look to Izzy. “Really? You haven’t told me about any pole dancing.”
Izzy laughs. “Well we’ve both been kind of busy. It helps me relieve some stress.”
“Uh-huh,” I reply.
Izzy stands up, her face going from sheepish to devilish has me worried. “Actually, I think Ruby needs to show y’all how it’s done.”
Quick perks up,.“You know how to pole dance?” He smiles for the first time since being back.
This bitch is going to get it.
“Did you work at the gym with Izzy back home?” Ginger inquires.
“Gym?” I look to Izzy for answers.
Izzy grabs her drink. “Okay, I have a confession. I didn’t really learn how to pole dance at the gym,” she states. “BUT. I did teach some classes there once.”
I bust up laughing.
Ginger shouts, “I knew you didn’t learn those moves at a fucking gym.”
Gus moves to Izzy with a murderous look on his face. “Where’d ya learn?”
Izzy stands her ground playing with the straw in her drink. She looks to me, and I nod my head.
“Well, Ruby moved in with her aunt when she was like ten years old. Her momma was a roadie, name Ruby after the song, ‘Ruby Tuesday’ by The Rolling Stones, hence why she hates the name.”
I snap, “Dude. We don’t need to my life story. Just get to the part about my auntie.”
“I want to know about your story,” a couple of the men say in unison.
Izzy continues, “She lived with her aunt, who’s one of the top well known domme in SoCal. She co-owns a strip club, and we used to go and hang out in the back with all the girls. Obviously, Ruby was going there way before me but we kind of hung out there when her auntie would let us.”
A voice grunts from behind us, making us all turn to see who walked up. Shy, Mac, Dallas and four huge guys walk up from the back room where they’ve been all night. Dallas repeats himself, “What’s your aunt’s name?”
Izzy looks to me again for approval before answering, “Giselle.”
I see the look on his face, and that wasn’t the name he was looking for, so I follow up with, “Mistress Z but mostly she goes by Madam Zelle. She went by a few different names way back when she was stripping, but once she bought into the club becoming co-owner, she stopped stripping. She’s been Mistress Z forever, being in the underground kink world, but once she stopped stripping, she started going by Madam Zelle. But, we know her as Auntie Giselle. She tries to keep her lives completely separate.”
Every guy in the place’s mouth is wide open, and almost everyone has shut up.
Izzy continues, “I didn’t want to say anything because she’s very secretive about her two lives. She keeps them separate, never mixing the two. I didn’t want to have to explain or lie but since Ruby’s here, she, of course, has the right to tell you.”
Everyone is quiet.
“So, you know how to dance like Iz? You that good?” Dallas again pipes up asking the question with a huge grin on his face.
“I doubt it. I’m sure she’s gotten better than me.” I snicker.
“Bullshit!” Izzy exclaims.
“I second that bullshit,” Mac yells from behind me.
“Let’s see what you got,” Quick says, walking up to my side.
I laugh and slam my drink back finishing it. “Maybe tomorrow at the party because right now, I’m so drunk it would be a shit show if I got up there,” I choke out.
Everyone starts chattering around us laughing and giving their two cents about me getting up on the pole but it’s Quick who has my attention. “So you are staying?” he says curiously.
Izzy turns to me waiting for my answer as well. “Yes, I’m going to stay the whole time.”
Quick’s face lights up. “Now that is the best fucking news I’ve heard all night.”
“Well, fuck me. That’s a first,” Maze says behind me. “Shots. Let's go.”
Five shots later, I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m hammered, exhausted and just need to sleep. Izzy is up dancing around with Ginger.
For the love of God, where do they get the energy.
I yell to get Izzy’s attention when she comes over and sits down I say, “I need a bed. I want you to keep having fun, but I’m exhausted from the day and hammered.”
Izzy smiles.
“I got her,” Quick says from next to me.
Izzy asks, smiling at me, “You good or do you need me to take you home?”
I swivel around in my chair to face Quick. “I need sleep. I’m hammered.”
He chuckles reaching out, pulling me to my feet. “I got you. I promise nothing’s going to happen to you.”
“Do not try anything with her, just take care of her. You got that?” Izzy points her finger at Quick.
Quick nods his head. “I got it.”
Walking away with him, I start to hear the catcalls and whistles. Quick flips them off before we turn down the hallway. Jesus Christ, there are a million rooms. The hallway is long and has a shit ton of doors.
“Why so many rooms?” I question.
“We gutted the
place once we took over and made rooms that go all the way around the building. We needed rooms for when other clubs come or for brothers to use.”
“It looks like The Shining. Kind of creepy with all the doors closed,” I said moving closer to Quick.
Quick laughs. “Yeah, I guess it is kind of creepy, but they’re all empty. We’re still under construction.”
He points to the end of the hallway. “That’s the MC club room. No one that isn’t a member’s allowed in there. It’s where we do all our club business now.” He points to the room next to it. “That’s Shy’s office and next to that is our club office.”
We pass the offices turning right which leads to another long hallway of rooms. “For fuck’s sake. How many rooms are there?”
Quick chuckles next to me. “Yeah, most of those aren’t finished yet, but they’ll be just a standard room.”
He stops in front of a steel door. “This is the elevator. Most of us live on the third floor. It’s a floor of rooms and a small living area. None of us really kick it up there, but we have our own stuff that’s separate from down here.”
The door slides open to an enormously wide elevator. “God, you could fit a car in this elevator.”
“Yes, you can, and it used to. This building used to be a car dealership,” Quick explains.
Quick pushes the third-floor button.
“What’s on the second and fourth floor?” I ask, being nosey.
“Fourth is storage for now and second is the party room. It’s where the pole is and another bar. If you would have looked up to the right from where you were sitting at the bar, you would have seen the second floor. If there aren’t people up there or if you’re not looking, you wouldn’t have noticed it.” Quick replies.
The door opens to a living area with eight doors lining the outer walls. Quick walks up to one of the rooms, unlocking it and he pushes the door open, gesturing me to enter. Walking into the room, I notice everything is like brand new. The king size bed, two night stands, and a dresser. I turn to Quick,. “Who’s room is this?”
Dropping his keys onto the dresser, he states, “Mine.”
Shit. What have I gotten myself into?